Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 July 2014
158. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State or British Foreign Secretary in relation to the motions passed unanimously by Dáil Éireann requesting the British Government to release the papers and-or files pertaining to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings of 1974; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31662/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government continues to support the all-party Dáil motions of July 2008 and May 2011 urging the British Government to allow access by an independent international judicial figure to all original documents in their possession relating to the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. This is a matter which my predecessor raised with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Theresa Villiers, who assured him that she would look afresh at the Government's request that access be granted to the documents concerned. I, and officials of my Department, will continue to raise this and other legacy issues as appropriate with counterparts in the British Government.
The Government has expressed its solidarity with the victims and survivors of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, and their families. The Taoiseach and the Minister for Trade and Development Joe Costello TD participated in memorial events on the 40th anniversary of the bombings, and my Department's Reconciliation Fund recently allocated renewed funding for Justice for the Forgotten, a group which works with the families affected by the bombings. Cases like the Dublin-Monaghan bombings underline the need to find a comprehensive, fair and balanced framework for dealing with the past. If not dealt with, the past will continue to have a deeply corrosive effect on politics. In this regard, I encourage Northern Ireland's party leaders to return as soon as possible to talks on parades, flags and dealing with the past.
